Name

The
surah takes its name, Al-Mu'minun, from the first verse.

Period
of Revelation.

Both
its style and theme indicate that it was revealed during the middle
stage of Prophethood at Makkah. Reading between the lines, one feels
that a bitter conflict had begun between the, Holy Prophet and the
disbelievers of Makkah, though the persecution by them had not yet
become tyrannical. It appears that the surah was sent down during the
climax of the "Famine" in Makkah (vv. 75-76), which
according to authentic traditions occurred during the middle stage of
Prophethood. Moreover, according to a tradition related by 'Urwah bin
Zubair, Hadarat Umar who had embraced Islam by that time, said, "This
Surah was revealed in my presence and I myself observed the state of
the Holy Prophet during its revelation. When the revelation ended ,
the Holy Prophet remarked, 'On this occasion ten such verses have
been sent down to me that the one who measures up to them, will most
surely go to Paradise'. Then he recited the initial verses of the
surah." (Ahmad, Tirmizi, Nasai, Hakim).

Theme
Topics

The
central theme of the surah is to invite the people to accept and
follow the Message of the Holy Prophet and the whole Surah revolves
round this theme.

Summary

The
fact that the people who have accepted the Message of the Holy
Prophet have started acquiring such and such noble qualities of
character is a practical proof of the truth of the Message. 1
- 11

In
this passage, attention has been drawn to the creation of man and the
universe to impress that the whole universe including man's own self,
is a clear proof of the truth of the Holy Prophet's Message, which
invites the people to accept Tauhidand life in the Hereafter. 12
- 22

Then
the stories of the former Prophets and their communities have been
cited as historical evidences of the truth of the Message. They prove
the following things :

The
objections and the doubts that the antagonists are raising against
the Message of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) are not new.
These were raised against the former Prophets also whom they
themselves acknowledged as Messengers of Allah. Therefore they
should learn a lesson from their history and judge for themselves
whether the Prophets were in the right or their objectors.

The
Message of Tauhidand the Hereafter that Muhammad
(Allah's peace be upon him) is conveying is the same as was brought
by the former Prophets; therefore they should accept it.

They
should take a warning from the consequences met by those communities
who rejected the Message of their Prophets.

All
the Prophets brought one and the same religion from Allah and they
all belonged to one and the same community. All other religions were
invented by the people themselves and none of them is from Allah. 23
- 54

After
relating the stories of the Prophets, a fundamental principle has
been enunciated: Success and prosperity in the worldly life is not a
criterion of success in the sight of Allah. If some persons (or a
person) are enjoying prosperity, wealth, power and the like in this
world, it does not mean that they are favorites of Allah. Likewise,
the poverty and adversity of other people is not a proof that Allah
is displeased with them. The real criterion is Faith (or lack of it).
This declaration was needed because the antagonists of the Holy
Prophet were the great chiefs of Makkah, who (and their followers)
were deluded by their own prosperity that God and their deities were
well pleased with them. On the other hand, they argued, the fact that
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) and his followers were indigent
and in a state of helplessness, was a clear proof that Allah was not
pleased with them, and they were under the curse of their deities. 55
- 67

In
this passage different arguments have been used to convince them that
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) was a true Prophet of Allah.
Then they have been told that the Famine (vv. 75 - 76) was merely a
warning and therefore "it is better for you to mend your ways;
otherwise you will be visited by a terrible scourge." 68
- 77

Again
they have been invited to observe the Signs in the universe and in
their own selves because these are clear proofs of the truth of the
Message of the Holy Prophet. 78
- 95

The
Holy Prophet has been told not to adopt any wrong way in retaliation
to counteract the evil ways of the enemies, and to guard against the
incitement of Satan. 96
- 97

In
this concluding passage, the enemies of the truth have been warned
that they shall have to render an account in the Hereafter and bear
the consequences of their persecution of the Believers; therefore
they should mend their ways. 98
- 118

In
the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1-11]
Most certainly those Believers have attained true success1
who2
perform their Salat with humility:3
who refrain from vain things:4
who spend their Zakat dues in appropriate ways:5
who guard their private parts scrupulously,6
except with regard to their wives and those women who are legally in
their possession, for in that case they shall not be blame-worthy,
but those, who go beyond this (in lust for sexual desires), shall be
transgressors:7
who are true to their trusts and their promises,8
and who strictly guard their Prayers.9
These are the heirs who will inherit Paradise10
and dwell therein for ever.11

[12-16]
We created man from an essence of clay: then turned him into a
sperm-drop in a safe place: then changed the sperm drop into a clot
of blood and the clot into a piece of flesh: then turned the piece of
flesh into bones: then clothed the bones with flesh,12
and then brought him forth as quite a different creation (from the
embryo).13
So blessed is Allah, the best of all creators.14
Then after this you shall all die: then most surely you shall' be
raised up on the Day of Resurrection.

[17-20]
And We have made seven paths above you15
We were not novice in the art of creation.16
And We sent down rain from the sky in due measure and lodged it in
the earth17
and We are able to take it away as We will.18
Then with that rain We caused vineyards and palm groves to spring up.
In those gardens there are delicious fruits19
from which you obtain sustenance.20
And We created the tree which grows on Mount Sinai,21
it gives oil and is used as food also by those who like to eat it.

[21-22]
In fact, there is a lesson for you in the cattle: We give you as a
drink of that which is in their bellies,22
and besides this you get other benefits from them: you eat their
flesh and are carried from place to place on them and on ships.23

[23-29]
We sent Noah to his people:24
he said, "O my people, worship Allah alone; you have no other
deity than Him. Are you not afraid (of shirk)?"25
Those of the chiefs of his people, who had rejected his Message,
said, "This person is no more than a human being like
yourselves.26
By this, he merely intends to obtain superiority over you.27
Had Allah willed, He would have sent down angels.27a
Since the time of our forefathers we have never heard (that a human
being came as a Messenger). Obviously this man is possessed: wait a
little more: (may be he is cured)" . Noah prayed, "Lord,
help me against these people for they have treated me as an
impostor".28
At this, We revealed to him: Build an ark under Our supervision,
according to Our instructions. Then, when Our Command comes and
"at-Tannur"29
begins to boil up, take aboard a pair of every species of animals,
and also the members of your own family except those against whom the
judgment has already been passed; and do not plead with Me for the
workers of iniquity, for they are doomed to be drowned. Then, when
you have boarded the ark along with your companions, say, "Praise
be to Allah Who has delivered us from the wicked people",30
and pray, "Lord, let my landing from this ark be at a blessed
place, for Thou art the best of harborers".31

[30]
There are many Signs in this story,32
and We always put people to the test.33

[31-38]
After them We raised a people of another generation.34
Then We sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, (who said,)
"Worship Allah alone: you have no other deity than Him. Are you
not afraid (of disbelief)?" Those of the chiefs of his people,
who had rejected the Message and denied the life in the Hereafter and
whom We had given prosperity in this worldly life,35
said, "This person is no more than a human being like
yourselves, for he eats of what you eat and drinks of what you drink.
Now if you submit to a human being like yourselves, you shall indeed
be losers.36
What! does he tell you that after you are dead and turned into dust
and become mere bones, you shall be brought out alive (from graves)?
Impossible! Just impossible is that which you are being threatened
with. There is no other life than this worldly life. We will live
here and die here and will not be raised up again. This man is merely
an impostor, who is inventing lies in the name of Allah,36a
and we are not going to believe in what he says".

[39-41]
At this the Messenger prayed, "Lord, help me against these
people, who have treated me as an impostor". In answer, it was
said ,"The time is nearing when they shall be remorseful".
In due course a great scourge overwhelmed them in all justice and We
cast them away like scum.37
So away with the wicked people!

[42-44]
After them We raised other peoples. No people ceased to exist before
its appointed term nor could any people outlive it. Then We sent Our
Messengers in succession. Whenever a Messenger came to his people,
they treated him as an impostor: so We went on destroying one people
after the other till We made them mere legends.-Accursed be those who
do not believe.38

[45-49]
Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our Signs and a clear
Authority39
to Pharaoh and his nobles. But they received them with arrogance, for
they were very haughty people.40
They said, "What! should we believe in these two men who are
human beings like ourselves40a
and whose people are our bondsmen?"41
So they treated them as impostors and incurred destruction.42
As regards Moses, We gave him the Book so that the people might be
guided by it.

[50]
And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign43
to mankind and We gave them shelter on a plateau where they could
have peace, and which was watered by running springs.44

[51-52]
O Messengers,45
eat of pure things and do righteous deeds,46
for I am fully aware of what you do. And you all belong to one and
the same community, and I am your Lord: so fear Me.47

[53-54]
Yet afterwards people divided themselves into different sects, and
each sect rejoices in what it has48
Well, leave them deeply involved in their heedlessness up to an
appointed term.49

[55-63]
Do they think that, by continuing to provide them with wealth and
children, We are solicitous for their welfare? Nay, they do not
understand the reality of the matter.50
Those who feel the fear of their Lord;51
who believe in the Signs of their Lord;52
who do not associate anyone with their Lord;53
who give whatever they give, and whose hearts are filled with awe by
the very idea that they shall have to return to their Lords;54
they indeed are the people who work for their true welfare and try to
be the first to attain it, We do not burden anyone with more than he
can bear.55
And We have a book which tells accurately (about everyone),56
and the people will in no case be treated unjustly.57
But these people are heedless of this,58
and their deeds are also of a different nature (from those mentioned
above).

[64-67]
They will continue their misdeeds till We bring punishment on the
epicureans among them,59
then they will begin to bellow.60
Now61
stop your groaning. You will get no help from Us this Day; for when
My Revelations were recited to you, you turned on your heels (hearing
the voice of the Messenger).62
In your arrogance you paid no heed to him, ridiculed him in your
meeting places63
and talked nonsense about him.

[68-71]
Have the disbelievers never considered the Word?64
Or, has he brought something the like of which had not come to their
forefathers?65
Or, did they not know their Messenger well that they fight shy of him
(as if he were a stranger)?66
Or, are they really convinced that he is possessed (by a jinn)?67
Nay! the real thing is that he has brought the Truth and most of them
have aversion to the Truth.-And had the Truth followed their lusts,
the whole system of the heavens and the earth, and of all who dwell
in them, would have been disrupted.68
Nay, We have brought them admonition for their own good, but they are
turning away from it.69

[72-74]
Are you demanding some recompense from them? Allah's recompense is
best for you, for He is the best Providence.70
As a matter of fact, you are inviting them to the Straight Path, but
it suits those, who do not believe, in the Hereafter, to deviate from
the Straight Path.71

[75-77]
If We take compassion on them and relieve them of their affliction,
they will persist blindly in their rebellion:72
for even now, when they are suffering from a torment, they have not
bowed before their Lord nor humbled themselves. However, when We will
smite them with a dreadful scourge, you will see that they will
despair of all good and become desperate.73

[78-83]
It is Allah Who has endowed you with the faculties of hearing and
seeing and given you hearts to think, but you do not show any
gratitude.74
It is He Who has scattered you in the earth, and before Him you shall
all be mustered. It is He Who gives life and ordains death, and
controls the alternation of the night and the day.75
Can you not understand this?76
Nay! these people say what their forefathers said before them. They
say, "Shall we be raised up again, when we have turned into dust
after death and become mere bones? We have heard many such threats
and so did our forefathers before us. These are nothing but ancient
tales".77

[84-85]
Say to them, "Tell me, if you know, whose is the earth and all
who dwell in it?" They will say, "Allah's". Ask them,
"Then why do you not understand this"?78

[86-92]
Say to them, "To whom do the seven heavens and the Glorious
Throne belong?" They will say, "To Allah"79
Say, "Then why do you not fear Him".80
Say to them, "Tell me, if you know, whose is the Sovereignty81
over everything? And who is that Being who gives protection while
none can give protection against Him?" They will surely reply,
"This power belongs to Allah." Say, "How then are you
so bewitched?"82
The fact is that We have brought the Truth before them and
undoubtedly these people are liars.83
Allah has no offspring,84
and there is no other deity as a partner with Him. Had it been so,
every deity would have become an independent ruler over its creation;
moreover, in that case, they would have tried to override one
another.85
Exalted is Allah and free from the sort of things they attribute to
Him. He has full knowledge of all that is open and hidden,86
and He is far above the shirk these people invent.

[93-95]
O Muhammad, pray, "Lord, if You inflict, during my presence
among them, that punishment with which they are being threatened,
then, O my Lord, do not include me among these unjust people.”87
And the fact is that We have the power to make you a witness of what
they are being threatened with.

[96-98]
O Muhammad, repel evil with that which is best: We are fully aware of
what they utter against you. And pray, "Lord, I seek refuge in
You from the promptings of the satans; more than that: I seek refuge
in You, my Lord, even from their coming near me"88

[99-110]
(Those people will not desist from their doing) till when death comes
to any one of them, he will say, "Lord, send me back to the
world89
which I have left: I hope I will now do righteous deeds."90
By no means!91
it is a mere saying that he is uttering:92
for now there is a barrier between the dead (and the world which they
have left) up to the Day93
when they shall be raised up again. Then, when the Trumpet will be
blown, all (worldly) relations between them shall cease to function
and they will not inquire about one another.94
Then only those whose Scales will be heavy,95
will attain success; and those, whose scales will be light, will be
the people who made themselves liable to loss96
they shall abide in Hell for ever. The "Fire" will scorch
their faces so as to expose their jaws97
(It will be said to them,) "Are you not the same people, who
treated as lies My Revelations, when they were recited to you?"
They will say, "Our Lord, our bad luck prevailed over us, and we
were, indeed, erring people. Our Lord, now take us out of this place:
after this, if we be guilty of such a thing, we shall indeed be
wrong-doers." In answer to this, Allah will say, "Get away
from here, remain herein and do not speak to Me.98
For, you are the very same people, who made fun of some of Our
servants when they prayed to Us, `Our Lord, we have believed: so
forgive us and have mercy, on us, for You are the Most Merciful of
all who show mercy? So much so that in your obduracy, you even forgot
My very existence, and went on scoffing at them.

[111-115]
Today I have recompensed them for their fortitude, and they have
triumphed over you.99
Then Allah will inquire from them, "For how many years did you
live on the Earth?" They will say, "We stayed there for a
day or for part of a day.100
You may inquire from those who kept account." It will be said,
"Well, you know now that you stayed there for a little while
only. What a pity! you did not realize it then.101
Did you think that We had created you without any purpose,102
and that you would never be brought back to Us?"

[116-117]
So Exalted is Allah,103
the and real Sovereign. There is no god other than He: He is the Lord
of the Glorious Throne. Therefore, if some one invokes any other
deity along with Allah, whereof he has no proof,104
he shall have to give an account to his Lord.105
Such disbelievers can never attain "success."106

[118]
O Muhammad, say, "Lord, forgive and have mercy! You are the most
Merciful of all, who show mercy".107

1"Believers",
who have attained true success, are those who have accepted the
Message of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), and have
acknowledged him as their guide and followed the way of life taught
by him.

This
assertion cannot be fully appreciated unless one keeps in view the
background in which it was made. On the one hand, there were the
well-to-do and prosperous chiefs of Makkah, the opponents of Islam,
whose business was thriving and who were enjoying every good thing
of life, and on the other hand, there were the followers of Islam
majority of whom were either poor from the beginning, or had been
reduced to poverty by ruthless antagonism to Islam. Therefore, the
assertion, "Most certainly the Believers have attained true
success", with which the discourse begins, was meant to tell
the disbelievers that the criterion of success and failure that they
had in mind was not correct. It was based on misconceptions besides
being transitory and limited in nature: it led to failure and not
true success. On the contrary, the followers of Muhammad (Allah's
peace be upon him), whom they regarded as failures, were truly
successful, because by accepting the invitation to the Right
Guidance given by the Messenger of Allah, they had struck a bargain
which would lead them to true success and everlasting bliss in this
world as well as in the Hereafter, whereas by rejecting the Message
the opponents had incurred loss and would meet with the evil
consequences both in this world and in the next.

This is
the main theme of the Surah and the whole discourse, from the
beginning to the end, is meant to impress the same.

2The
noble characteristics of the Believers pointed out in vv. 2-9 are
the arguments to prove the above assertion. In other words, it has
been stated that people with such and such traits and qualities only
can attain true success in this world and in the Hereafter.

3Khashi`un
in the Text is from khushu (to bow down, to express humility) which
is a condition of the heart as well as of the body. Khushu' of the
heart is to fear and stand in awe of a powerful person, and khushu `
of the body is to bow one's head and lower one's gaze and voice in
his presence. In Salat one is required to show khushu ` both of the
heart and of the body, and this is the essence of the Prayer. It has
been reported that when the Holy Prophet once saw a person offering
his Prayer as well as playing with his beard, he remarked: "Had
he khushu ` in his heart, his body would have manifested it. "

Though
khushu ` is actually a condition of the heart, as stated by the
above tradition, it is manifested by the body as a matter of course.
The Shari `ah has enjoined certain etiquette which, on the one hand,
helps produce khushu ` in the heart, and on the other, helps sustain
the physical act of the Prayer in spite of the fluctuating condition
of the heart. According to this etiquette, one should neither turn
to the right or left, nor raise one's head to look up: one may,
however, look around from the corner of the eye, but as far as
possible, one must fix the gaze on the place where the forehead
would rest in prostration; one is also forbidden to shift about,
incline side ways, fold the garments or shake off dust from them. It
is also forbidden that while going down for prostration, one should
clean the place where one would sit or perform prostration.
Similarly it is disrespectful that one should stand stuffy erect,
recite the verses of the Qur'an in a loud resounding voice, or sing
them, or belch or yawn repeatedly and noisily. It has also not been
approved that one should offer the Prayer in a hurry. The injunction
is that each article of the Prayer should be performed in perfect
peace and tranquility, and unless one article has been completely
performed, the next should not be begun. If one feels hurt by
something during the Prayer, one may cast it aside by one hand, but
moving the hand repeatedly or using both the hands for the purpose
is prohibited. with this etiquette of the body, it is also important
that one should irrelevant things during the Prayer. If thoughts
come to the mind intention, it is a natural human weakness, but one
should try one's

Along
avoid thinking without one's utmost that the mind and heart are
wholly turned towards Allah, and the mind is in full harmony and
tune with the tongue, and as soon as one becomes conscious of
irrelevant thoughts one should immediately turn the attention to the
Prayer.

4Literally,
laghv is anything nonsensical, meaningless and vain, which is in no
way conducive to achieving one's goal and purpose in life. The
Believers pay no heed to such useless things and they show no
inclination or interest for them. If by chance they see such things
being indulged in, they keep away and avoid them scrupulously, or
treat them with utmost indifference. This attitude has been
described in Al-Furqan (XXV): 72, thus: " ... if they have to
pass by what is vain, they pass by like dignified people."

This is
indeed one of the outstanding characteristics of the Believer. He is
a person who feels the burden of responsibility at all times; he
regards the world as a place of test, and the life as the limited
time allowed for the test. This feeling makes him behave seriously
and responsibly throughout life just like the student who is taking
an examination paper with his whole mind and body and soul absorbed
in it. Just as the student knows and feels that each moment of the
limited time at his disposal is important and decisive for his
future life, and is not inclined to waste it, so the Believer also
spends each moment of his life on works which are useful and
productive in their ultimate results. So much so that even in
matters of recreation and sport, he makes a choice of only those
things which prepare him for higher ends in life and do not result
in mere wastage of time. For him time is not something to be killed
but used profitably and productively.

Besides
this, the Believer is a person who possesses a right thinking mind,
pure nature and fine taste: he has no inclination to indecent
things: he can talk useful and healthy things but cannot indulge in
idle talk: he has a fine taste of humor, but is not given to
jesting, joking, ridicule, etc. nor can he endure dirty jokes and
fun. For him a society in which the ears are never immune from
abusive language, back-biting, slander; lying, dirty songs and
indecent talk is a source of torture and agony. A characteristic of
the promised Paradise is: "therein you will not hear anything
vain or useless."

5The
word Zakat literally means purification and development-to help
something grow tip smoothly and develop without obstruction. As an
Islamic term, it implies both the portion of wealth taken out for
the purpose of purifying the rest of wealth and the act of
purification itself. The words of the original Text mean that the
Believer constantly practices purification. Thus the meaning is not
confined to the paying off of Zakat dues only but it is extended to
self-purification which includes purification of morals as well as
wealth, property and life in general. Then it does not mean
purification of one's own self, but includes the purification of the
lives of other people as well. So the verse means: "The
Believers are the people who purify themselves as well as others."
This thing has been stated at other places in the Qur'an -also, for
instance: "Successful is he who practiced -purification and
remembered his Lord and prayed." (LXXXVII: 1415), and:
"Successful is he who purified himself and failure is he who
corrupted it." (XCI: 9-10). But this verse is more
comprehensive in meaning because it stresses the purification of
both society and one's own person.

6They
are modest in every sense of the word. They are free from sex abuse
and sex perversion. They are so modest that they even conceal those
parts of their bodies which the Law forbids to expose before others.
For explanation, see E.N.'s 30 and 32 of An-Nur (XXIV).

7This
is a parenthesis which is meant to remove the common
misunderstanding that sex desire is an evil thing in itself and
satisfying it even in lawful ways is not desirable, particularly for
the righteous and godly people. This misunderstanding would have
been strengthened had it been only said that the Believers guard
their private parts scrupulously, because it would have implied that
they live unmarried lives, away from the world, like monks and
hermits. Therefore a parenthesis has been added to say that there is
nothing wrong in satisfying the sex desire in lawful ways. What is
evil is that one should transgress the prescribed limits for
satisfying the sex desire.

Here are
briefly a few injunctions which are based on this parenthetical
clause:

(1) Two
categories of women have been excluded from the general command of
guarding the private parts: (a) wives, (b) women who are legally in
ode's possession, i.e. slave-girls. Thus the verse clearly lays down
the law that one is allowed to have sexual relations with one's
slave-girl as with one's wife. the basis being possession and not
marriage. If marriage had been the condition, the slave-girl also
would have been included among the wives, and there was no need to
mention them separately. Some modern commentators, who dispute the
permissibility of having sexual relations with the slave-girl, argue
from An-Nisa' (IV) : 25 to prove that one can have sexual relations
with a slave-girl only after entering wedlock with her, because that
verse enjoins that if a person cannot afford to marry a free Muslim
woman, he may marry a Muslim slave-girl. But these commentators have
a strange characteristic: they accept a part of a verse if it suits
them, but conveniently ignore another part of the same verse if it
goes against their wish and whim. The law about marrying the
slave-girls as enunciated in IV :25 reads: "....you may marry
them with the permission of their guardians and give them their fair
dowries." Obviously the person under reference here is not the
master of the slave girl himself but the person who cannot afford to
marry a free Muslim woman, and therefore , wants to marry a
slave-girl, who is in the possession of another person. For if the
question had been of marrying one's own slave-girl, who would then
be the "guardian" whose permission would have to be
sought? Then, the interpretation they give of this verse contradicts
other verses dealing with the same subject in the Qur'an. A sincere
person who wants to understand the Qur'anic law in this regard
should study An-Nisa' (IV); 3, 25; AI-Ahzab (XXXIII): S0, 52, and
Al-Ma`arij (LXX): 30 together with this verse of Al-Mu'minun. (For
further explanation, see E.N. 44 of An-Nisa).

(2) The
law prescribed in the parenthesis is only applicable to men as is
clear from the Text. A woman in the time of Hadrat `Umar did not
understand this fine point of the language and indulged in sexual
gratification with her slave. When her case was brought before the
consultative body of the Companions, they gave the unanimous
decision: "She misinterpreted the Book of Allah" Nobody
should entertain the doubt that if this exception is meant for the
men only, how could then the husbands become lawful for the wives?
This doubt is unjustified because when the husbands are exempted
from the command of guarding their private parts in regard to their
wives, the wives automatically stand exempted from the command with
regard to their husbands, and there is no nerd to grant them
exemption separately. Thus the command of exemption remains
applicable and effective only in respect of the man and the woman
legally in his possession, and the slave becomes unlawful for the
woman possessing him. The wisdom of why the slave has been forbidden
to the woman is that he can only satisfy her sexual desire but
cannot become guardian and governor of herself and her household,
which leaves a serious flaw in the family life.

(3) The
sentence ".... but those who go beyond this (in lust for sexual
desire), shall be transgressors" has made satisfaction of sex
desire in other ways unlawful, whether it be through fornication,
homosexuality, sex gratification with animals, or some other means.
The jurists differ only with regard to masturbation. Imam Ahmad bin
Hanbal regards it as lawful, but Imams Malik and Shafi`i regard it
as absolutely unlawful: and though the Hanafites also regard it as
unlawful, they give the opinion that if a person indulges sometimes
in masturbation under the fit of passion, it is expected that he
will be forgiven the error.

(4) Some
commentators have proved the prohibition of Mut ah (temporary
marriage) from this verse. They argue that the "woman with whom
one has entered into wedlock temporarily, can neither be regarded as
a Wife nor a slave-girl. A slave-girl obviously she is not, and she
is also not a wife, because the legal injunctions normally
applicable to the wife are not applicable to her. She neither
inherits the man nor the man her; she is neither governed by the law
pertaining to `Iddah (waiting period after divorce or death of
husband), divorce, subsistence, nor by that pertaining to the vow by
man that he will not have conjugal relations with her, false
accusation, etc. She is also excluded from the prescribed limit of
four wives. Thus, when she is neither a "wife" nor a
"slave-girl" in any sense, she will naturally be included
among those "beyond this", whose seeker has been declared
a "transgressor" by the Qur'an.

This is a
strong argument but due to a weakness in it,-it is difficult to say
that this verse is decisive with regard to the prohibition of
Mut`ah. The fact is that the Holy Prophet enjoined the final and
absolute prohibition of Mut ah in the year of the conquest of
Makkah, but before it Mut ah was allowed according to several
authentic traditions. If Mut 'ah had been prohibited in this verse,
which was admittedly revealed at Makkah, several years before the
migration, how can it be imagined that the Holy Prophet kept the
prohibition in abeyance till the conquest of Makkah? The correct
position therefore is that prohibition of Mut ah is not based on any
express law of the Qur'an but is based on the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet. Had it not beep prohibited by the Sunnah, it would have
been difficult to declare it as prohibited only on the authority of
this verse.

It would
be worth-while to clarify two other points in connection with
Mut'ah: (a) lts prohibition is based on the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet and therefore it is wrong to say that it was prohibited by
Hadrat 'Umar. As a matter of fact, Hadrat `Umar only enforced it as
a law of Islam and publicised it among the people. This had not been
done earlier because the Holy Prophet had forbidden Mut 'ah only
during the latter part of his worldly life.

(b) The
Shiite view that Mut ah is absolutely lawful and permissible has no
sanction and support in the Qur'an or Sunnah. The fact is that a few
of the Companions, their followers and jurists who regarded it
permissible in the early days of Islam, did so only in case of
extreme necessity and need. None of them held the view that it was
absolutely lawful like marriage and could be practised in normal
circumstances. Hadrat `Abdullah bin 'Abbas, who is generally cited
as a prominent supporter of the view of permissibility, has himself
explained his position thus: "It is just like carrion which is
lawful for a person only in extreme necessity." Even Hadrat Ibn
'Abbas had to revise his opinion when he saw that people were
abusing permissibility and had started practising Mut ah freely
regardless of genuine need and necessity. Again, even if the
question, whether Hadrat Ibn '.Abbas and the few likeminded jurists
had revised their opinion or not, is ignored, the fact is that the
supporters of Mut'ah allow it only in case of extreme necessity.
Holding Mut ah as absolutely permissible, practising it without any
real necessity, or resorting to it even when one has a legally
wedded wife or wives is a kind of licence which is abhorred by good
taste, much less it be attributed to the Shari ah of Muhammad
(Allah's peace be upon him) and imputed to the learned jurists of
his family. I think that among the Shiite Muslims themselves no
respectable person would like that somebody should ask for the hand
of his daughter or sister not in marriage but for the purpose of
Mutah. For if Mutah is held as absolutely permissible, it would
imply that there should exist in society a low class of women, like
the prostitutes, who should be available for the purpose as and when
required, or if not that, Mutah be restricted to the daughters and
sisters of the poor stratum of society and the well-to-do be given
the freedom and right to exploit them as and when they like. Can
such an injustice and discrimination be expected of the Divine Law?
And will Allah and His Messenger permit an act which every
respectable woman would regard not only disgraceful for herself but
shameful, too?

8The
Believers fulfill the terms of the trusts which are placed in their
charge. In this connection it should be noted that the Arabic word
amanat is very comprehensive and includes all those trusts which are
placed in their charge by Allah or society or individuals. Likewise
`ahd includes all those compacts, pledges, and promises which are
made between Allah and man, and man and man. The Holy Prophet
himself used to impress the importance of the fulfillment of pledges
in his addresses: "The one, who does not fulfil the terms of
his trust, has no Faith, and the one, who does not keep promises and
pledges has no Islam. " (Baihaqi) According to a Tradition
reported both by Bukhari and Muslim, he said: Four characteristics
are such that if a person has all the four in him, he is beyond any
doubt a hypocrite, and the one who has one of these, is a hypocrite
to that extent till he gives it up:

(a) When
something is placed in his trust, he commits breach of the trust,

(b) when
he speaks, he tells a lie,

(c) when
he makes a promise, he breaks it, and

(d) when
he has a quarrel with somebody, he exceeds all limits (of decency
and morality)"

9Salawat
is plural of Salat. In verse 2 the act of Salat itself was implied,
but here the plural number implies the individual Prayers offered in
their own times. "They strictly guard their Prayers": they
strictly adhere to the prescribed times of the Prayers: they perform
them with due regard for their pre-requisites, conditions and
articles with clean body and dress and necessary ablutions: they do
not regard their Prayers as an unnecessary burden, which has to be
cast off somehow: they do not recite mechanically but understand
what they recite and are conscious that they are supplicating their
Lord like humble servants.

10Firdaus
(Paradise) is a common word found in almost all human languages in
very nearly similar forms. It means a vast garden adjoining the
dwelling of a person and enclosed by defence walls and containing
all kinds of fruit trees, especially vines: In some languages, the
word has the sense of containing pet birds and animals, too. Firdaus
was in common use in pre-Islamic Arabic literature. The Qur'an,
however, has used it for a plurality of gardens as in Al-Kahf
(XVIII) :107. This gives the idea that Firdaus is a vast place
containing a great number of gardens, vineyards, etc.

The
inheritance of Paradise by Believers has been explained in detail in
E.N. 83 of Surah Ta Ha (XX) and E.N. 99 of Surah Al-Anbiya' (XXI).

11The
substance of this passage may be summed up in four parts for the
further understanding of the Surah:

(1) The
above-mentioned excellent qualities of the Believers are not
confined to any race, nation or country.

(2) These
excellences can be attained only by sincere Faith and excellent
moral qualities, and by the observance of prescribed laws in all the
aspects of life.

(3) True
success is not confined to transitory worldly and material
prosperity but it comprises both success in this life and in the
life after death in the Hereafter, and is attained by sincere Faith
and righteous deeds. This is a fundamental principle which cannot be
falsified either by the worldly "success" of the
evil-doers or by the temporary "failure" of the righteous
people.

(4) Let
us reiterate that these excellent characteristics of the Believers
have been presented as a practical proof of the truth of the Message
of the Holy Prophet, for these were the result of its acceptance.
This should be kept in mind in the study of the succeeding passages,
wherein the same subject has been pursued from different angles.
This will also help to show the connection between this and the
succeeding passages.

13Now
let the disbelievers consider the Message of the Holy Prophet by
observing their own creation, for this will convince them of its
truth by proving its doctrine of Tauhid. The origin of man is from a
mere inanimate sperm-drop, which undergoes several changes in the
womb of the mother. But after this, when it sees the light of the
day, it is quite a different creation from the embryo in the womb.
Now it can hear, it can see, and in due course of time it can talk
and think. Then, when he reaches adulthood and maturity, he is
capable of performing wonderful deeds. It is obvious that Allah
alone could create all these characteristics in an inanimate
sperm-drop.

14The
various stages of the creation of man have been cited to prove that
Allah is All-Blessed and there is no human language which can
describe the praise of which He is worthy, as if to say, "That
Allah Who is able to develop an essence of clay into a perfect man,
does not have any partner in His Godhead. Moreover, He has the power
to raise him up again after his death, and is capable of working
even greater wonders.

15The
original Arabic word taraiq has more than one meaning. It may refer
to the paths of the seven planets, with which the man of the time of
the revelation of the Qur'an was familiar, or to the seven heavens.
it should be noted that this word has not been used as a modern
scientific term, but as a common word according to the Arabic usage
of the period in order to invite the people's attention to the
wonders of the heavens, whose creation is certainly a greater thing
than the creation of men. (XL: 57).

16This
may also be translated as: "We were not nor are heedless of Our
creation." According to the first translation, it will mean
that the whole of the creation has been brought about in a perfect
manner with a definite design and purpose, for Allah-their
Creator-is perfect in every respect. The creation itself a proof
that it is not the work of a novice or an inexpert. All the physical
laws of the entire system of the universe are so closely
interconnected as to prove that it is the creation of the All-Wise
Allah. If we take the second translation, it will mean that Allah
has not been heedless in making provisions for every thing according
to its nature from the most insignificant to the greatest of all.

17The
"rain" may refer to the rainfall, which comes down every
now and then. It may also refer to the great store of water which
Allah sent down at the time of the creation of the earth to fulfill
its various needs till the Last Day, and which still exists in the
shape of seas, lakes, sub-soil water, etc. It is the same water
which evaporates in summer and freezes in winter and is carried by
winds from place to place and spread over the earth by rivers,
springs and wells to cause the growth of multitudes of things, and
then is again restored to the seas, lakes, etc. Neither has this
store of water been decreased by a drop nor was there any need to
increase it by a drop since its creation. Today it is too well known
how water comes about by the combination of oxygen and hydrogen in a
certain ratio. The question is why can't more water be produced when
oxygen and hydrogen still exist in abundance in the world? Who
caused them to combine in the proper ratio in the beginning to
produce oceans of water and who now stops them from coming together
to produce an extra drop? Then when water evaporates, who causes
oxygen and hydrogen to remain combined in water vapors even in the
gaseous state. Have the atheists and polytheists, who believe in
independent deities for water, air, summer and winter, any answer to
this question?

18This
is to warn that Allah is able to take away the water if He so wills,
and deprive the world of its most important means of life. Thus,
this verse is more comprehensive in meaning than verse 30 of Surah
Al-hulk (LXVII):

"Ask
them: Have you ever considered that if the water of your wells
should sink down into the earth, who would then restore to you
running springs of water?"

20That
is, you sustain yourselves by the produce that you get from these
gardens in the shape of fruit, corn, wood, etc.

21That
is, the olive-tree, which is the most important product of the lands
around the Mediterranean Sea. The olive-tree can last for 2,000
years or so, so much so that some trees in Palestine are said to be
existing since the time of Prophet Jesus. It has been attributed to
Mount Sinai probably for the reason that the area whose well known
and prominent place is Mount Sinai is its original habitat.

23The
benefits of cattle as means of conveyance have been mentioned here
along with the ships, because in Arabia, camel was used mainly for
this purpose, and has been called "the ship of the desert"
for the same reason.

25That
is, "Are you not afraid that if you set up partners and
associates with Allah, Who is the real Sovereign, and worship and
submit to them, you shall incur His wrath and punishment?"

26There
has been a common deviation that "a human being cannot be a
Prophet, and a Prophet cannot be a human being." That is why
the Qur`an has refuted this wrong conception over and over again,
and has stated forcefully that all the Prophets were human beings
and that a human being only could be sent as a Prophet to human
beings. For details, see AI-A`araf (VII,): 63, 69, Yunus (X): 2, Hud
(XI): 27-31, Yusuf (XII): 109, Ar-Ra`d (XIII): 38, Ibrahim (XIV):
10-11, An-Nahl (XVI): 43, Bani Isra'il (XVII): 94-95, Al-Kahf
(XVIII): 110, Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 3, 34, Al-Mu'minun (XXIII): 33-34,
47, Al-Furqan (XXV): 7, 20, AshShu'ara` (XXVI): 154, 186, Ya Sin
(XXXVI): 15, Ha Mim Sajdah (XLl): 6 along with the relevant E.N.'s.

27This
accusation is another old objection, which has always been raised
against those who tried to reform their people. Their opponents
always accused them of exploiting "religion" to gain
domination in the land. Prophets Moses, Aaron and Jesus were accused
of the same and so was Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). So much
so that the disbelievers of Makkah offered to make the Holy Prophet
their king, if he gave up his Message.

As a
matter of fact, the people who exhaust themselves in pursuit of
worldly benefits and gains, cannot believe that somebody in this
world could also exert himself sincerely and selflessly for the sake
of human welfare. They regard deceptive slogans, which they raise to
capture power, and false promises, which they make day and night to
bring about reforms as natural. They think that sincerity and
selflessness can be employed only to deceive people and these cannot
be put to any better use. That is why the epithet of "power
hungry" for the reformers in all ages has been used by those
already in power as if their own power and domination in the land
was their birth-right, and they were in no way blame-worthy for
struggling for it and achieving it. (For further explanation, see
E.N. 36 below)

In this
connection, it should also be noted that all those, who try to
reform the prevalent corrupt system of life, have inevitably to
fight against those in, power in order to establish the righteous
system. That is why the powers that be, have always been against the
Prophets and their followers, who had to dislodge the corrupt
rulers. It is, however, obvious that here is a vast difference
between those who want power to gain their own selfish ends and
those who want it to reform their people.

27aThis
is a clear proof of the fact that Noah's people were not
disbelievers in the existence of God nor did they reject Him as Lord
of the universe and the angels as His obedient servants. They were
only guilty of shirk: they had set up other deities as partners in
God's attributes and powers and rights.

28"Help
me against these people": `Take Thy vengeance on these people
for they have denied me." Verse 10 of Al-Qamar (LIV) says:
"Then cried Noah to his Lord, `I am overcome, so take Thy
vengeance on these people" and verses 26-27 of Noah (LXXv say:
"And Noah said, `O my Lord, do not leave of these disbelievers
any dweller upon the earth, 'for if Thou sparest them, they will
mislead Thy servants and will beget none but sinners and
disbelievers'."

29Some
commentators think that tanner means the earth; others take it for
the highest part of the earth; and still others think that the words
far-at-tannur in the Text have been used for the break of Dawn.
There are some who express the opinion that the words have been used
metaphorically for the creation of turmoil. But in view of the
context, we see no reason why one should take a far fetched
figurative meaning of a clear word of the Qur'an. It appears that a
particular oven (tannur) had been ear-marked for the deluge to start
from, which was to all appearances an unexpected origin of the doom
of the wretched people.

30The
fact that Allah should be praised and thanked for the annihilation
of those people, is a clear proof that they were the most wicked and
villainous people in the world.

31"Landing"
here does not simply mean touching and resting on the land, but it
also implies the sense of "hospitality", as if to say: "O
God, now we are Thy guests and Thou alone art our Host.

32At
the conclusion of the story of Prophet Noah, particular attention
has been drawn to the many Signs in the story from which one can
learn many lessons. For instance, the Prophet who invited the people
to Tauhid was in the right and those who practiced and insisted on
shirk and disbelief were in the wrong and were destroyed: that the
same kind of conflict, which took place between Prophet Noah and his
people, was going on in Makkah. Therefore, ultimately the Holy
Prophet will come out victorious over his antagonists just like
Prophet Noah.

33This
can also be translated as: "We had to or have to put people to
the test. " In each case the purpose is to warn the people that
they will not be left alone after they have been granted power in
the land and over good things of life, but Allah will put them to
the test to see how they used their power. Whatever happened with
the people of Noah was in accordance with this law, and the same
will happen in future with any community which is raised to power.

34The
people of `Ad, who were raised to power after the people of Noah.
(Refer to AI-A`araf: 69).

35It
should be noted that all those people who opposed the Messengers had
three common characteristics: (1) They were the chiefs of their
people. (2) They denied life in the "Hereafter". (3) They
were prosperous in the worldly life. Obviously, they loved the life
of this world and could never conceive that their way of life, which
had made them chiefs and brought prosperity, could ever be wrong.
Therefore they opposed their Messengers, who took away their peace
of mind, by preaching that there was a life-after-death and they
shall have to render an account to Allah of what they did in this
world. And this was exactly what was happening at Makkah.

36Some
commentators have wrongly opined that the chiefs exchanged these
remarks against the Messenger between themselves. These remarks in
fact were addressed to the common people. When the chiefs felt that
the Message was spreading among the common people and there was a
real danger that they would be influenced by the pure character of
the Messenger and that their superiority then would automatically
come to an end, they began to delude them by raising such objections
against him. It is worth while to note that both the chiefs of the
people of Noah and the chiefs of the people of `Ad accused their
Messengers of the "lust for power" but as regards
themselves, they thought that power and prosperity were their
inherent rights and they were in every respect entitled to be the
chiefs of their people.

36aThese
words show that the people of Ad too, were not disbelievers in the
existence of God. They too were involved in the sin of shirk. Refer
to Al Aaraf (VII): 70, Hud (Xl): 53-54, Ha Mim Sajdah (XLI): 14, and
Al-Ahqaf (XLVI): 21-22.

37Lexically,
the word ghutha' means the rubbish which is brought by Hood waters
and is deposited on the banks to rot there.

39The
use of "a clear Authority" along with "Our Signs"
may either mean that the "Signs" were a clear proof that
they were Messengers of Allah, or the "Signs" may refer to
all other miracles of Prophet Moses than the "staff', which may
stand here for a clear Authority, because the miracles shown by
means of it were a clear proof that the two brothers had been sent
by Allah.

40The
words in the Text may either mean: (1) They were highly arrogant and
tyrannous people, or (2) They showed haughtiness and self conceit.

41Abid
is worshiper. According to the Arabic usage, to be a "worshiper"
and a "bondsman" are almost synonymous. Therefore when the
Prophets invited their people to worship Allah alone, they wanted
them to worship and serve and obey none but Allah, and that is the
real significance of the word " `ibadat". For further
explanation, see E.N. 50 of AI-Kahf (XVIII).

43The
wording "We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign" is
very significant, because it means that neither the son of Mary nor
his mother was each a separate Sign, but both of them together were
a Sign. This verse is a clear proof that a son was born to Mary
without cohabitation with a man and that Jesus had no father. For
fuller details see Al-`Imran (III): 45-49, An-Nisa' (IV): 156, 171,
Maryam (XIX): 16-35 and Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 91 and the relevant
E.N.'s.

In this
connection, it should also be noted that the case of the error in
regard to Prophet Jesus and his mother was different from the error
in regard to other Prophets, who were rejected because ,they were
human beings. But the deviation in regard to Prophet Jesus and his
mother was that the credulous people raised them from the low
position of human beings to the high rank of Godhead. On the other
hand, those, who went to the other extreme accused Mary of
unchastity, although they were witnesses of the miraculous birth of
Jesus and had heard him speak in the cradle.

44Different
people have mentioned different places, like Damascus, Ar-Ramlah,
Jerusalem and Egypt, in regard to the plateau where Allah gave them
shelter. From the Christian traditions it appears that Mary had to
leave her home twice after the birth of Prophet Jesus, first in the
time of Herod when she took him to Egypt and stayed there till
Herod's death, and then in the time of Arichelaus when she took him
to Nazareth in Galilee. (Matthew, 2: 13-23). Therefore it cannot be
said with certainty to which of these two emigrations the Qur'an
refers here. It is, however, obvious that the place of shelter was a
plateau which provided them with all the necessities of life.

45In
the preceding passage (vv. 23-50), the stories of some Prophets have
been related as individuals, but in this verse all of them have been
addressed together. However, it does not mean that they were present
at one and the same place at the time of address. As a matter of
fact, this way of address has been adopted to show that the Message
of all the Messengers, who came to different countries in different
ages, was the same and they all belonged to one and the same
community. (v. 52). Therefore the Message to one Messenger was meant
to be the Message for each one of them. In this verse, they have
been addressed together as if they were present at one and the same
place in order to emphasize this same aspect of the matter. But it
is an irony that some stupid people of this age have concluded that
this verse has been addressed to those messengers who were to come
after Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). It is obvious
that this interpretation cannot fit in the context in which the
verse occurs.

46"Pure
things" implies that they should be wholesome and must have
been earned in lawful ways. Here the instruction, "eat of pure
things", is meant to refute the theory and practice of
asceticism. The Qur'an teaches the middle way between the life of
asceticism and that of licence. The fact that the instruction, "eat
of pure things", precedes "do righteous deeds", is
meant to impress that righteous deeds are meaningless without eating
lawful provisions. The Holy Prophet impressed this very thing,
saying, "O people, Allah is pure and loves pure things."
Then he recited this verse (51) and said, "A person makes a
long pilgrimage in a disheveled condition and prays with raised
hands, `O my Lord, O my Lord', whereas he eats unlawful food, wears
unlawful clothes and has been brought up on unlawful provisions. How
can such a one expect that Allah will grant his prayer?"
(Related by Abu Hurairah).

47The
original Arabic word ummat (community) comprises those individuals
who have something basic common among them. All the Messengers of
Allah belonged to one and the same community because .they had the
same creed and the same religion and the same Message. See also
Al-Baqarah (II): 130-133 and 213, Al-`Imran (III): 19-20, 33-34, 64,
79-85, An-Nisa'(IV): 150-152, Al- A'araf (VII): 59, 65, 73, 85,
Yusuf (XII): 37-40, Maryam (XIX) :49-59, and AlAnbiya' (XXII): 71-93
along with the relevant E.N.'s.

48This
is not a mere statement of a fact, but it is a link of the same
argument which is being put forward from the very beginning of the
Surah. The argument is this: Islam has been the real and original
religion of all the Prophets from Noah to Jesus (Allah's peace be
upon them all), because all of them brought and taught the same
doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter. On the contrary, all the
other religions are the perversions of "the real and original
religion", which has been tampered with in many ways.
Therefore, those who are following the perverted religions are in
the wrong and not the Holy Prophet who is inviting them to "the
real and original religion".

49There
is a gap between v. 53 and v. 54, which has been left to the
listener to fill, because the background of the whole discourse
itself helps to fill it. Five years had passed since the Holy
Prophet had been inviting his people to the original religion. He
had left no stone unturned to convince them by reasoning and by
historical evidence that his Message was based on the truth. His
people had seen the practical results of the acceptance of his
Message and had witnessed his own high character which was by itself
a guarantee that he was a trustworthy man. But in spite of all this,
his people were rejoicing in their erroneous beliefs which they had
inherited from their forefathers. This was not all. They had become
his bitter enemies and were trying to defeat him and his Message by
every wicked machination.

After
filling the gap, the meaning of verse 51 becomes quite clear. It
does not mean that the Holy Prophet should give up his preaching and
leave the disbelievers to themselves. This way of address has been
employed to shake and rouse the disbelievers. This verse warns them
to realize that the time was coming near when they would see for
themselves that the Messenger was in the right and they were in the
wrong.

50This
question has been posed as a proof of the main theme of the Surah.
It is meant to remove their misconception of "success",
"welfare" and "prosperity", which the
disbelievers had formed to delude themselves. According to them, the
one, who enjoyed the good things of life and wielded power and
influence in the society, had attained "success". On the
other hand, the one who was deprived of these things was a "failure"
. This misconception had involved " them in another serious
misunderstanding. They thought that the one who had attained
"success" was in the right, and the beloved of Allah.
Otherwise, how could he have attained all the "successes"?
On the contrary, the one who was apparently deprived of these things
was surely wrong in his creed and erroneous in his deeds, and was
under the wrath of God (or gods). As this misconception is one of
the greatest deviations of the materialists, the Qur'an has stated
it and refuted it in different ways at different places and made the
reality plain. For instance, see A1-Baqarah (II): 126, 212,
Al-A'araf (VII): 32, At-Taubah (IX): 55, 69, 85, Yunus (X):17, Hud
(XI) :3, 27-31, 38-39, Ar-Ra`d (XIII): 26, Al-Kahf (XVIII): 28,
32-43, 103-105, Maryam (XIX):77-80, Ta Ha (XX): 131-132, Al-Anbiya`
(XXI) :44 along with the relevant E.N.'s. In order to remove the
above-mentioned misconceptions one should keep in view the
following:

(1)
"Success" is a far higher thing than the material
prosperity and the transitory success of an individual, community or
nation

(2) It is
absolutely wrong to consider "prosperity" and "success"
as a criterion of truth and falsehood.

(3) It
should be noted well that this world is a place of test and trial
and not a place of reward and retribution. It is true that even in
this world, sometimes there is some punishment or reward, but it is
on a very limited scale, and even in this, there is an aspect of the
test. Therefore it is an utter folly to consider material "success"
and "prosperity" to be a proof that the recipient is in
the right and so the beloved of the Lord, and vice versa. Moreover,
the tests and trials of individuals and communities are of many
varieties and a seeker after truth must understand at the outset
that the worldly "success" or "failure" of the
people is not the result of ultimate reward or punishment and cannot
be regarded as the criterion for the right or wrong creed, morals
and actions and a sign of being the beloved of God or otherwise.'

(4) One
must have a firm belief that truth and righteousness will ultimately
gain victory over falsehood and wickedness. As regards the criterion
of truth and falsehood and right and wrong, one must judge this in
the light of Revelations and teachings of the Messengers, because
common sense confirms the same, and it is also supported by the
general conception which mankind has always had of good and evil.

(5) As a
corollary of the above, it would have become clear that according to
the Qur'an (and this is confirmed by common sense), the conception
of "reward" and "punishment" should also be
different from the common one. For instance, if a wicked person or
community is enjoying "prosperity", it is not a reward of
its evil deeds but a harder test for it, and it is not a blessing
but the wrath of Allah. It means that Allah has decided to punish
the "prosperous people" with a severe scourge. On the
other hand, if the righteous people are suffering from hardships and
afflictions, it is not a punishment from Allah but a blessing in
disguise to pass them through the "fire" to remove
impurity, if any, from the pure gold. If this hard trial is a
blessing for the righteous people, it is a test for the wicked
people to give them a severe punishment for the persecution of the
former.

51That
is, they do not live a carefree life devoid of the fear of God. They
live in awe of Him and are fully conscious that He oversees and
watches them in all their motives and actions and they are thus
deterred from thinking and doing evil.

52"Signs"
here means both Divine Revelations to the Prophets and the signs
found in man's own self and in the universe around him. To believe
in the verses of the Book is to affirm them, and to believe in the
signs of human self and the universe is to affirm the realities
which they point to.

53Though
belief in the Revelations itself ingrains the doctrine of Tauhid in
the hearts, yet the believers have been warned to guard against
shirk. This is because, in spite of believing in the Revelations,
man is inclined to commit shirk in one form or the other, for
instance, in exaggerating the teachings of the Prophets and
righteous people, supplicating and serving others than Allah, etc.

54This
verse (60) may be elaborated like this: "They serve their Lord
and try their best to obey Him and do righteous deeds, but all along
they remain humble in their hearts and are not puffed up with the
pride of their piety: nay, in spite of all their good deeds, their
hearts are always filled with awe that they shall have to render an
account to their Lord, and they are not sure whether they will come
out successful in the judgment of their Lord or not."

A
concrete interpretation of this verse is afforded by Caliph 'Umar.
Although he served his Allah in a way that was exemplary, yet he was
so afraid of accountability to Him that he is reported to have said
before death: "f shall consider it a favor, if I am neither
rewarded nor punished in the Hereafter." Hadrat Hasan Basri has
expressed the same thing in a beautiful manner: "A believer
obeys Allah and is yet fearful of Him, and a hypocrite disobeys
Allah and is yet fearless of Him."

55The
enunciation of this fundamental proposition, in the context in which
it occurs, is very meaningful. In the preceding passage (vv. 57-b1),
the characteristics of those people, who deserve true success, have
been stated, and in this verse (62), it has been made clear that
those excellent qualities can be attained by anyone who tries to
achieve true success, as if to say, "The conditions We have
laid down for true success are within the reach of those who strive
for it, for 'We do not burden ... Therefore if you, O disbelievers,
desire to achieve true success, you should follow the example of the
Believers from among yourselves, who have really attained it"

56According
to the Qur'an, an elaborate "conduct book" of every
individual is being maintained accurately. This records every word
he utters, every deed or act he performs, even every hidden thought
and intention that he cherishes in his heart and mind. See also
Al-Kahf (XVIII) :49 and E.N. 46 thereof.

57That
is, neither a person will be accused of and punished for something
he had not done, nor will he be deprived of the full reward of a
good act that he had done.

58They
are heedless that everything they are saying and doing, is being
recorded in some "book" and that they shall have to render
an account of everything.

59The
epicureans will probably be punished in this worldly life because in
the enjoyment of luxury and pleasure they forgot the rights of the
other people and transgressed the prescribed limits.

60ju'ar
is bellowing by a bull painfully. Here the word has been used
tauntingly for a groaning person who does not deserve any mercy, as
if to say, "Now that you are going to be punished for your
misdeeds, you have started bellowing.

62That
is to say, "In the worldly life you did not pay any heed to
what the Messenger said; nay, you did not even like to hear his
voice."

63The
meeting places where the people of Makkah gathered together at night
to hold consultations, to gossip and tell tales, etc.

64That
is, "Do they mean to imply that they reject the Message because
they do not understand it? whereas the Qur'an is not an enigma, nor
is it being presented-in an incomprehensible language, nor does it
deal with themes and subjects which are beyond human understanding.
The fact is that they understand everything it presents, but they
oppose and reject it, because they have no intention to follow and
believe what it presents."

65That
is, "Is the Qur'an presenting something which they had never
heard before? No, that is not so. Allah had been sending His
Messages through His Prophets, who came to Arabia and in the
adjoining lands and they are well acquainted with them, especially
with Prophets Abraham and Ismael, and Hud, Saleh and Shoaib, who are
acknowledged by them as Prophets of God, and who were not
idol-worshipers but enjoined the worship of One God. " For
further explanation, see E.N. 84 of Al-Furqan (XXV), E.N. 5 of
As-Sajdah (XXXII) and E.N. 35 of Saba (XXXIV).

66That
is, "Do they reject the Message because Muhammad (Allah's peace
be upon him) who is inviting them to it, is a stranger among them?
No, this is not so, for he was born and bred among them in a noble
family: he bears a pure and high character: he has been truthful,
upright, trustworthy, honest and morally chaste throughout his life:
he is a noble and gentle person, peace-loving and just by nature,
honest in word and deed, sympathetic and helpful to the weak and
poor. And they themselves testified to all this before he claimed to
be a Messenger of Allah. Then he has been consistently preaching the
same Message from the first day of his Mission. Then whatever he has
preached he has first practiced it himself and demonstrated its
truth: there has been no contradiction between his word and deed: he
and his followers have faithfully and honestly put into practice the
Message of the Qur'an and shown excellent results." For further
details, see E.N. 21 of AI-An'am (Vl), E.N. 21 of Yunus (X) and E.N.
105 of Bani Isra'il (XVII).

67That
is, "Do they reject his Message because they regard Muhammad
(Allah's peace be upon him) to be possessed by a jinn? No, this is
also not correct, because in their heart of hearts, they themselves
regard him as a wise and sagacious person. It is therefore
ridiculous to regard a man like him to be possessed by a jinn, for
such a person cannot say wise things and do noble deeds like him.
How strange that a person possessed by a jinn (or having epileptic
fits according to the western orientalists) should utter and recite
sublime discourses of the Qur'an and start and guide a successful
Movement which should revolutionize the way of life not only of his
own people but of the whole world."

68This
brief sentence expresses a great reality which should be understood
well. The foolish people in the world generally feel offended by a
person who points out the Truth to them. They do not like to hear
and consider the Truth because it goes against their desires and
interests but the Truth remains the Truth and cannot be changed
after one's personal whims and wishes. Man is subject to the eternal
and unalterable laws operating in the universe and has therefore to
adjust his thinking, desires and conduct accordingly and should try
to discover the Truth and Reality through experience, reasoning and
observation. Only a foolish person can stick to and regard his
personal whims, wishes and prejudices to be the reality and refuse
to hear and consider any argument, however rational and scientific,
simply because it goes against them.

In the
light of these, the full meaning of the verse will be: "Your
rejection of the Qur'an is irrational, for it contains the mention
of those things which develop the best in human nature: it is an
admonition that will result in your own good and well-being, and it
will bring esteem and honour for you in this world as well as in the
Hereafter."

70This
was yet another proof of the Holy Prophet's Prophethood: he was
conveying the Message without demanding any recompense for it, and
he had no self-interest in it. Nay, he had staked his business,
reputation, peaceful home life, relationships with the unbelieving
kindred for the success of his Mission and was being ruthlessly
persecuted for its sake. A selfish person could not have risked his
all for the sake of only worldly motives. He would rather have
exploited the racial and tribal prejudices of his people to become
their ruler and leader. On the contrary, his Message not only cut at
the root of those prejudices but tended to destroy the very bases
which helped his tribe to wield influence and authority over the
polytheists of Arabia. This is an argument which the Qur'an has
advanced again and again as a proof of the truth of the Mission of
the other Prophets as well. See Al-An'am (VI): 90, Yunus (X): 72,
Hud (XI): 29, 51, Yusuf (XII): 104, Ya Sin (XXXVI): 21 along with
the relevant E.N.'s.

71This
was the real reason why they were deviating from the Right Path. As
they did not believe in the Hereafter, they thought that no account
would be taken from them of what they did in this world. Therefore
it did not matter whether they followed the 'Truth or falsehood.
Their only aim in life was to gratify the lusts of the flesh and
gratify them in the best way possible.

72The
affliction alluded to in this verse was the famine which occurred in
Makkah some time after the advent of Prophethood. According to
Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, when the Quraish persistently refused
to accept the invitation of the Holy Prophet and started putting up
stiff resistance, he prayed, "O Allah, help me against them
with a seven-year famine like the seven-year famine of the time of
Prophet Joseph." So a severe famine started in Makkah with the
result that people were obliged to eat carrion. This famine has been
alluded to in a number of Makki Surahs. For instance see Al-An'am
(VI): 42-44, AI-A'araf (VII): 94-99, Yunus (X): 11, 12, 21, An-Nahl
(XVI): 112-113 and Ad-Dukhan (XLIV): 10-16 along with the relevant
E.N.'s.

73The
Arabic word mublis is used for one whom frustration makes so
desperate and obdurate that he does not hesitate to resort to any
crime. The Devil has been called Iblis for the same reason.

74The
disbelievers have been told to consider the great blessings of eyes,
ears, mind and heart and use them as human beings should, and show
gratitude to the Creator by accepting His Message.

75If
one makes the right use of one's faculties and observes these things
properly, one can find the Truth, for it is obvious that the great
mechanism of the universe could not have come into existence by a
mere accident. There must be its Creator who need not have any
associates or partners and that the universe could not have been
created without a purpose as a mere sport. The very existence of a
wonderful, rational thinking and feeling creature-Man-who has been
delegated with powers, is a clear proof that his life will not come
to an end at death.

76Here
attention is being drawn to the proof of both Tauhid and Life
after-death, and in the other phenomena cited to the refutation of
both shirk and rejection of the Hereafter.

77Their
denial of the Life-after-death implied the denial of the powers and
wisdom of Allah as well.

78That
is, "If you acknowledge this, why do you not then understand
chat none but Allah deserves to be worshiped and that when He has
once created the earth and all the things in it, it is not difficult
for Him to re-create them once again?"

79That
is, "If you acknowledge this, why do you not then understand
chat none but Allah deserves to be worshiped and that when He has
once created the earth and all the things in it, it is not difficult
for Him to re-create them once again?"

80That
is, "Why are you not afraid of rebelling against Him and
worshiping others besides Him? Why do you not dread that one day you
shall have to give an account of all your deeds to the All-Powerful
Sovereign of the universe?"

81The
word malakut in the Text is a strong word which combines both
sovereignty and ownership. The verse therefore means: "Whose is
the Sovereignty and Who possesses the real ownership rights over
everything?"

82In
order to understand the significance of this question, we should
know that the art of magic makes a thing appear different from what
it really is. Thus the question will mean: "Who has bewitched
you that, in spite of knowing and acknowledging all these things,
you do not understand the Reality ? Who has bewitched you that even
after acknowledging Allah to be the Owner and the All Powerful
Sovereign, you set up other owners and sovereigns along with Him or
make them partners with Him and worship them ? Who has deluded you
that you should dare to be treacherous and unfaithful to Allah
knowing that none can protect you against Him, and forget that you
will be called to account for these things?"

In this
connection, it should also be noted that this question has a subtle
meaning also. The Quraish accused the Holy Prophet of practicing
magic and sorcery. This question turns the tables on them, as if to
say, "O foolish people, the man who presents the Reality
appears to you to be a sorcerer, while those leaders who say things
against Reality, against common sense and against your own
convictions and beliefs, do not appear to you to be sorcerers at
all."

83They
are liars because they say that others besides Allah have a share in
His Godhead and that there is no Life-after-death, because their
first saying contradicts their own admission that Allah is the Owner
and the Sovereign of the universe. Then their second assertion is
based on the presumption that the All-Powerful Allah cannot recreate
what He has created once. This is clearly a contradiction in terms.

84It
should be, noted that this is a general refutation of the belief
that Allah has a child or children, and incidentally refutes the
Christian belief that Christ is the son of God. Yet even some
eminent commentators confine this to the refutation of the Christian
belief. Obviously, there is no reason why it was necessary to refute
the Christian belief specifically in this context, when the whole
discourse has been directed towards the disbelievers of Makkah
alone, who were, like the Christians, guilty of this sort of shirk.

85Here
the argument of Tauhid is based on this principle : Had there been
more than one God or partners in Godhead, there would have been
serious differences, conflicts and wars among the different
sovereigns and rulers. See Bani Isra'il (XVII): 42 and E.N. 47
thereof, and Al-Anbiya' (XXI): 22 and E. N. 22 thereof.

86This
contains a subtle allusion to the refutation of the doctrine of
"intercession". See E.N.'s 85, 86 of Ta Ha (XX) and E.N.
27 of AI-Anbiya' (XXI).

87This
prayer does not mean that, God forbid, there was any real danger of
the Holy Prophet's also being involved in the punishment, or that if
he had not invoked this prayer, he might have been invoked in it.
This way of address has been adopted to warn that all people should
fear Allah's punishment. They should not demand it nor persist in
their wickedness, if Allah gives them respite. As a matter of fact,
Allah's punishment is a thing which should be dreaded not only by
the sinful people but also by the righteous people, and they should
all seek His refuge from it, for when the scourge of God comes, it
does not destroy only the wicked people but may also involve the
righteous people in it. Therefore the right course for those, who
have to live in a wicked society, is that they should always pray to
Allah for His refuge, for one does not know when that scourge might
come down.

89In
the original Text plural number has been used for Allah, which may
be for reverence, or may include the angels as well, who will be
seizing the criminal soul. The entreaty would be: "O my Lord!
send me back!"

90It
occurs at several places in the Qur'an that each of the criminals,
after his death till his entry into Hell, and even after that, will
plead again and again: "Lord, send me back to the world: I will
no more disobey Thee: I will now do righteous deeds." See
Al-An`am (VI):27, 28, Al-A`araf (VII): 53, Ibrahim (X 1 V): 44, 45,
Ash-Shu`ara' (XXVI):102, AI-Fatir (XXXV): 37, Az-Zumar (XXXIX): 58,
59, AI-Mu'min (XL): 10-12, and Ash-Shura (XLII): 44 along with the
relevant E.N.'s.

91That
is, "He will never be sent back nor given another opportunity,
for in that case the test and vial for which man is sent m this
world becomes meaningless." For further explanation, see
Al-Baqarah (II): 210 and E. N. 228 thereof, and,E.N.'s 6, 139, 140
of AI-An`am (VI) and E.N. 26 of Yunus (X).

92That
is, "Now, when he has met his doom, he has nothing more to say
than that he should be sent back to the world; so let him say what
he likes; he will never be allowed to go back."

93"That
is, "Now there is a `barrier' between them and the world, which
will not allow them to go back to it. Therefore they shall remain in
that state up to the Day of Resurrection."

94It
does not mean that the father will not remain "father" and
the son will not remain "son", etc.. It only means that
they will not be able to help each other, nor shall they be able to
inquire about each other as father and son, for each one will be
worried and anxious about his own plight. See also Al-Ma'arij (LXX):
10-14, and `Abasa (LXXXI 34-37).

95That
is, those whose good deeds will be heavy and will out-weigh their
evil deeds.

96For
the criterion of "success" and "failure" in the
Hereafter, please refer to E.N.'s 1 and 50 above.

97The
word kalih means a face whose skin has been removed so as to expose
the jaws. When somebody asked Hadrat `Abdullah bin Mas`ud the
meaning of kalih, he said, "Haven't you seen the scorched head
of a slaughtered animal?"

98"....do
not speak to Me" "...do not plead your case with Me."
According to some traditions, these will be their last words and
they shall never be allowed to speak again, but this is contradicted
by the Qur'an itself in the succeeding verses. Therefore, it only
means this that they will not be able to plead their case again.

99This
is again a reference to those who will deserve success or be doomed
to failure in the Hereafter.

101That
is, "Our Messengers warned you that the life in this world is
transitory and is for test and trial, but you did not realize it
then and denied that there was any life in the Hereafter and behaved
in accordance with that belief."

102The
Arabic word abathan in the Text also means "for the sake of
sport". Then the verse will mean: "Did you think that We
had created you merely for the sake of sport and there was no
purpose behind your creation ? Therefore you may eat, drink, be
merry and enjoy yourself as you please."

103Allah
is above this that He should create you without any purpose and that
you may associate partners with Him with impunity.

104It
may also be translated as: "The one who invokes any other deity
along with Allah, has nothing to support him in this act."

106Again,
the reference is to those who will attain we success and to those
who will be deprived of it.

107Compare
and contrast this "prayer" with verse 109. Here the Holy
Prophet has been told to make the same prayer as contained in verse
109, as if to say, "You (and your followers) should supplicate
Allah with the same prayer so that, if the people scoff at you, they
themselves might provide a proof of a strong case against
themselves."